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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28773303">Don't let me down</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malauu_Ladynoir/pseuds/Malauu_Ladynoir'>Malauu_Ladynoir</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chat Noir Adrien Agreste and Ladybug Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Identity Reveal, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Post-Hawk Moth Defeat, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:21:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,140</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28773303</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malauu_Ladynoir/pseuds/Malauu_Ladynoir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>LadyBug and Chat Noir have defeated Hawkmoth since 1 year. What happens when Parisians gradually disown superheroes and Ladybug suffers from their behavior to the point of publicly renouncing to her miraculous? Did Chat Noir will be able to support her ?</p><p> One-shot / slightly dramatic, but mostly romantic / Post Hawkmoth's defeat / Reveal</p><p>English is not my native language but I handle it pretty well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Don't let me down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>This story takes place after Hawkmoth’s defeat. </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>Our heroes have beaten him since 1 year, after almost 5 years of fighting. Our heroes are 19 years old now.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>The One-shot was inspired by the song : Don't let me down by The Chainsmockers</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>good reading !</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>1 year ;</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It has been 1 year to the day since tHawkmoth was defeated, after 5 years of a long and hard fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since then, Ladybug's life has changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>First, she had to face the revelation of the identity Hawkmoth, not without surprise, since the latter revealed himself to be the father of the boy she secretly loved for 4 years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Very quickly, she had to make a choice to not destroy Adrien's life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After long negotiations with the police, Gabriel Agreste was placed in a rehabilitation center with daily psychological treatment. The identity of Hawkmoth has never been revealed to the general public.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nathalie, meanwhile, was allowed to remain at large with regular psychological monitoring. She decided to stay with Adrien at the Agreste mansion. </span>
  <span>The latter quickly forgave Nathalie her mistakes. Even being happy that she decides to stay with him because on a daily basis, she now did her best to redeem her faults and be a better person. </span>
  <span>Adrien himself was supported by his best friends far more than he could have imagined. He had decided to put Nino, Alya and Marinette in the confidence of his heavy secret, without revealing that he was Chat Noir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, he had chosen not to let go of the mask and reveal his identity to Ladybug, ashamed that his father had been the one who had caused them so much suffering. Since then, their relationship as partners has been strained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the first weeks, they met regularly to patrol. There were no more supervillains to fight, but Paris remained their beloved city and they wished more than anything that the Parisians knew that they would always be there, watching over them. </span>
  <span>Months have passed and patrols have been less regular. Sometimes Ladybug patrolled alone and, conversely, sometimes it was Chat Noir who watched alone. </span>
  <span>InIn the last weeks, they had neither seen nor spoken.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>" Crashing, hit a wall</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Right now I need a miracle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Hurry up now, I need a miracle</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Stranded, reaching out</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I call your name but you're not around</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I say your name but you're not around" </em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Tonight, 1 year after the arrest of Hawkmoth Paris was calm as often.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For several weeks, Ladybug was no longer comfortable during her patrols. </span>
  <span>Parisians weren't so grateful to have superheroes in their city, and sometimes they even became contemptuous. </span>
  <span>She regularly heard people whispering in her presence about her and Chat Noir: "They are useless, there are no more threats. "They just want to make themselves interesting, they miss fame. "We are living well without them now. ”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tonight was no exception to the rule. People pointed fingers at her, eyes were heavy, murmurings dismissive… </span>
  <span>She had gone too far for her, she swung her yoyo towards a fireplace and began a frantic race on the rooftops of Paris to evacuate all the suffering that she had in her heart since the fall of Hawkmoth.</span>
  <span>This senseless race attracted the attention of the inhabitants of Paris, as well as the local media. </span>
  <span>Nadja Chamack's camera was riveted on a Ladybug in tears, running on the rooftops of Paris at an enormous pace, swinging sending her yoyo much too approximately, repeatedly failing to fall dangerously below.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien was in front of the special flash broadcast live. Eyes wide open and full of misunderstanding. His heart instantly tightened, and he did not hesitate for a single second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Plagg, Claws out !</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rushed to the top of a roof and looked around: He soon saw the red silhouette that he knew so well how to climb the Eiffel Tower. He immediately went after her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>" I need you, I need you, I need you right now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Yeah, I need you right now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I think I'm losing my mind now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>It's in my head, darling I hope</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>That you'll be here, when I need you the most</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down "</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When he arrived at the top of the Eiffel Tower, he unfortunately noticed that she was about to jump to escape in another direction. He ran towards her to place her on the ground, in the momentum they both drove and found themselves a few moments later in free fall along the Great Lady of Iron. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat Noir hugged her, she was exhausted, completely emptied and without any reflex. Immediately he grew his stick and planted it firmly in the ground below: Clinging firmly to it, he let himself slide slowly along the metal stick while clutching his catch around Ladybug. When their feet touched the ground, they collapsed sitting on the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was in tears against his torso: he was holding her as hard as he could to try to appease her. The sobs continued for many minutes, then suddenly she stopped crying and raised her head to her partner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Chat Noir, I'm really sorry, I can't stand all this anymore, being Ladybug doesn't make sense anymore, what's the point of continuing if we are useless, it doesn't serve any purpose anymore. Forgive me. Tikki, I'm sorry, I renounce you.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>" Don't let me down, down, down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down,</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down, down, down</em>
  </b>
  <strong>
    <br/>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Running out of time</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I really thought you were on my side</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>But now there's nobody by my side "</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A few seconds later, Marinette appeared in the arms of Chat Noir in front of several journalists and the camera that had been following them for some time: arms in which she started to cry more beautifully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was upset: Marinette stood there in his arms sobbing with big tears, her body shaking from head to toe. He drew her even more strongly against him and pressed her with all his might. The pain went through his heart and all his being, she was the woman he had loved for almost 5 years and seeing her as vulnerable broke his heart. She couldn't be the only one exposed like this, she couldn't be the only one cashing in on the consequences of her revelation to the public, he wouldn't let her face it alone. It was at this point that he made an important decision: He would stand by her no matter what, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he would never let her down</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-Plagg, Claws in, he said without any hesitation</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this moment, the camera broadcast on all screens of Paris: Adrien Agreste, the famous model, in a sad embrace with his partner, Marinette, the daughter of the most famous bakers in Paris. The masks had just dropped and revealed the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her partner's words immediately raised her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Aa...Adrien? she murmured weakly</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-Yes, Marinette, it’s me, and I’m always present for you as you have been for me all this year. I won't let you down, I promise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Thank you Adrien. I'm sorry, I ruined everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- You didn't ruin anything Marinette. Come here, I'll take you home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- No, please! I can't face Alya now.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Her home for almost 2 years, it's a small apartment that she shares as a roommate with her best friend.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>- You will not face alone. You know Alya, she's been following everything live, she'll want answers, but most of all, she has to worry a lot about you. We'll do this together, okay?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Okay, Adrien.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When she arrived at her apartment, it was a terribly worried Alya who drew her friend into her arms in a long silent embrace. Without letting go Marinette she straightened her head towards Adrien.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Did you know? asked Alya to Adrien.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- I knew nothing at all, we never revealed our identities to each other. Not even when we fought hawkm... father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette pulled out of Alya's arms and faced her partner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Why didn't you tell me? We fought your father Adrien and... and you decided to take it all by yourself?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- I was never alone, I had 3 incredible friends with me. I didn't want to put the weight of this revelation on your shoulders. It was useless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-You should have told me, Chat !</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- And you...? Why didn't you tell me you were so bad? You collapsed today, and I didn't even know you were suffering, so don't you trust me anymore? I could have supported you in Ladybug!</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ladybug... a glacial thrill through her body, that's right, she was Ladybug, just Ladybug now in her eyes. It's been years since he called her like that. He must have been furious, furious that she had given up, furious that she was Marinette, angry that he was the partner of a coward, she did not deserve to be his lady anymore.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>- I... need to rest, and be alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Marinette is not the answer I asked you to give me! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Marinette did not listen to him, she had already turned her back to lock herself in the bathroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>-Adrien, let's give her some time, will you? I'm gonna go to Nino's tonight, and you better get some rest, too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alya left the apartment and invited Adrien to do the same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- I feed Plagg: my kwami, and I'm going out by the window. I'll get home faster if I get high. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Okay, take care of yourself, Adrien, and don't worry about Marinette, you can talk tomorrow. See you soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- See you soon Alya. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette sneaked into the shower, leaning against one of the walls, she let the hot water run down her face and plunged into her thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>" I need you, I need you, I need you right now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Yeah, I need you right now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I think I'm losing my mind now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>It's in my head, darling I hope</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>That you'll be here, when I need you the most</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down "</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tonight, she gave up. And her partner would probably never forgive her. Her partner, Adrien, the man she has loved for years... How could she be so blind? How could she have put off the one she loves for so many years? Now he didn't consider her his Lady anymore, she was only Marinette. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Could he forgive Marinette for having been such a bad Ladybug in recent months? She had distanced herself from Chat Noir,  leaving the weight of being a useless superhero to weigh on her shoulders over and over again. She had said nothing to her friends, letting suffering invade her more and more every day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was very angry that she had not revealed her identity since last year. She could. Hawkmoth was no longer threatening Paris and her friends were safe. She could have avoided suffering alone in silence, she could have discovered her partner's identity and told him for a long time how much she loved him, with and without the mask.</span>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>" Don't let me down, down, down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down, down, down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down, down, down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down, don't let me down, down, down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Oh, I think I'm losing my mind now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Oh, I think I'm losing my mind now "</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Now she's lost her partner, she's given up being Ladybug and Adrien would never forgive Marinette for losing her footing tonight. She risked losing him, too. </span>
  <span>She let herself slide against the shower wall while sobbing, the pain she felt compressed her heart and pulled out a scream of absolute sadness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat Noir had just launched himself on the roof of the apartment where Marinette and Alya lived when his sensitive feline hearing captured a scream that immediately immobilized him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Marinette!</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He immediately turned around and came back through the window of the apartment he had just left, his heart pounding at full speed against his rib cage, he lost not a second: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cataclysm! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He slapped his hand against the locked bathroom lock and rushed in. Marinette was curled up in the shower, her head buried in her knees that were brought back against her chest and water still running on her. He gently opened the sliding door of the shower and knelt beside it. With gentleness, he put a finger under her chin and lifted it up to see her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Marinette, I need you to talk to me now, because I can't let you destroy yourself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette looked up and met the feline's two emeralds. She clung to it, opened her mouth to speak, but closed it immediately. The pain was too intense, the guilt too intense, no words could come out of her mouth. </span>
  <span>Nevertheless she did not leave the eyes of her partner who looked at her intensely. He saw the distress in her gaze and once again his heart became tight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Marinette, I'm here. You can trust me. If you can't talk to me now, then I'll do it, and you'll listen carefully, okay? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded weakly in approval.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took her hand and raised her up while cutting the water with his other hand. He looked into her eyes, tears were always present in her blue eyes, so he drew her to embrace him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-I'm sorry for hiding from you that I was Adrien. When my father was beaten, I should have told you the truth. But I was scared. I was afraid you'd compare me to him. I was afraid you'd reject me. I was just afraid of losing your friendship. I was always hoping in my heart that I could one day win my Lady's love… Months passed after we defeated Hawkmoth and I felt I was losing you anyway. I accepted that. after all, you had never responded to the advances of Chat Noir and we had no more Supers-villains to fight, so I let you go and I tried to heal my heart and forget you. That's why I reduced our patrols, that's why I left you alone. I'm a jerk. All that, all that happened today. the reason you fell for it’s that I abandoned you, I abandoned my wonderful partner because I was selfish. I will always love you my Lady, my Marinette, and I should have known long ago that it was no use trying to forget you because I can't. I shouldn't have walked away, your friendship and trust is the most beautiful thing I have in my life. Forgive me for letting you down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart quickened and he emptied himself at the end of his story. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he really just embrace Marinette naked in his arms and deliver to her the deepest secrets of his heart?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>-And I'm sorry, now I realize you're totally naked against me and I'm going to go out and close my eyes and I promise you I didn't see anything and... and why I'm still talking to myself, I'm a fool, I'm going out right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned to leave the room and immediately came to rest feeling a warm and wet hand curling around his wrist. At the same time his ring was sending the last signal announcing his transformation, he had not even paid attention to it. Marinette pulled on his wrist, forcing him to turn and drawing him into a new embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>" I need you, I need you, I need you right now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Yeah, I need you right now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>I think I'm losing my mind now</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>It's in my head, darling I hope</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>That you'll be here, when I need you the most</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>So don't let me, don't let me, don't let me down</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Don't let me down "</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>- You're not a jerk. You're the best partner in the world. I made mistakes, too. I'm the guardian, and when we arrested Gabriel we could have revealed ourselves to each other: There was no danger, and I was aware of it. But my growing feelings for Chat Noir, selfishly pushed me to keep our identities secret because I was afraid that you wouldn't like the girl in the mask and be disappointed... And then you walked away, you didn't call me your lady anymore, and I thought that's all I deserved after waiting so long to turn your feelings around. All this ended up slowly consuming me. I felt unhappy and useless and even the Parisians made me feel it and I ended up losing my footing and giving up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tightened her grip on him, trying to muster whatever little courage she had left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-I also sincerely need you to know that the boy for whom I have rejected the advances of Chat Noir so long, it was you Adrien, it has always been you. I loved you from our first meeting, when you gave me your umbrella.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A smile stretched across Adrien's face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Me? Since all this time? And I didn't see anything because I was too obsessed with your Alter-ego... I called you our daily Ladybug so many times… Marinette, I'm really an idiot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- We are both idiots then. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both missed a laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Marinette, what I said earlier, I really mean it. I love you, with and without the mask my feelings for you remain unchanged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- I love you too, Adrien, my kitty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She put her hands on his cheek and their lips met softly in a shy and tender kiss. Adrien tightened his grip on Marinette's waist and drew her stronger against him to deepen the kiss. He quickly realized that Marinette was always naked against him and quickly got out by closing his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Marinette, you are still naked and I... I am a man and I... I have... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- Well, Adrien, the cat got your tongue? Is it really so disturbing that I'm naked? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- No..no.... but... I...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette captured his lips again and drew him to her bedroom without ever breaking contact. Their kiss became more intense, more passionate, more wild. Marinette broke contact to quickly remove Adrien's t-shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>-Marinette, are you sure that you want to... </span>
</p><p>
  <span>- make love with the man I love, right now? Yes, I'm sure. I need you, Adrien. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien removed the rest of his clothes and kissed Marinette while tipping her over the bed. He drew a path of burning kisses along her jaw and in her neck, ending his run in the hollow of her ear by whispering: - I need you too, my lady. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of what happened belongs to them: It was a sweet first time for both of them, filled with love and unforgettable. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>The end</strong>
  </em>
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